Hey, it's what I do! Welcome to my creative arts blog!

Welcome to my Maker's blog, where I feature my own unique creative projects. I'm seven years out from breast cancer and counting my blessings.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Gorgeous $1 dollar cabinet redo with book pages and twine.

Don't you love it when you drive up to the local Salvation Army and they're just putting out a bunch of stuff on their sidewalk marked one dollar??? I tell you, for a cheapaholic like me, it was a thrill! I picked up lots of stuff. A TON. Filled my car up for less than ten dollars. It was a great day in a week of not so great days and I needed it.

So here she is, a sturdy all wood, not particleboard cabinet with two tight doors and a neat little nook at the bottom. Yeah, she was dirty and had a bad paint job but her potential was so great that when my daughter, Insanely Creative Christy, came to visit and asked if I had any fun projects on tap, well, you know what happened next!

We're on a book page project kick right now and this old, decrepit dictionary with brittle brittle pages was just the ticket. LOVE the old pen and ink illustrations in these old books. They are little works of art.

Christy painted the whole cabinet with the Country White latex I used in my guest bath. It goes perfectly with the vintage look of the book pages.

Here is the little nook with the start of the process. Mod Podge rocks! Tho we've learned to save money by using plain Elmer's school glue for the first phase then finish with 2 coats of Mod Podge for a nice sheen. Creative and CHEAP, that's us!

Here are the doors after their first coat of Mod Podge, drying by the wood stove. Already they look so much better!

Ah, the details!! Christy finished the edges of the book page insets with jute twine, spray painted the fixtures with oil rubbed bronze and THEN added jute to the knobs for an extra kick of texture and interest. She sanded the the edges with The Welding Man's palm sander and VOILA! Beautiful! We don't call her Insanely Creative Christy for nothing!

Just look at how gorgeous Miss One Dollar Cabinet looks now. She's in the hallway bath for that extra bit of style and storage that every bathroom needs. We're still deciding whether to book page her side. What do you think?

I think Christy has given Pottery Barn a run for their money on this one, don't you? So creative and clever and CHEAP! This project is a win, win, win.

I'm hooking up to the fun parties on my sidebar. Please join me for some wonderful projects and a great group of bloggers. See you there!

This is so great! I love the book pages and the use of the twine! So inventive! It's a wonderful re-do!I hope you can join my necklace giveaway going on now!http://alittleknickknack.blogspot.com/2010/11/rhonda-michaels-jewelry-giveaway.html

That's so cool -- really the perfect piece. You did it up right, adding the bits and pieces of the dictionary. As Sonja said -- it's a wonderful transformation. I also love the way you altered the handles with the twine. That's the perfect finishing touch. Beautiful, and thank you for linking to the Boardwalk Bragfest. It's an inspiration, just like you!

I wasn't sure about the book until you put the black knobs on. Between the paint, the prints, and the knobs, you really did pull it together very well. Hard to believe you only paid $1 for that. The end result is very pretty.

Ohh Ann, this turned out so great, and for being only $1.00 how could have it gone wrong. You totally scored on this, and I love the old dictionary pages on it. Yup I'd say your daughter deserves that name for sure, she did GREAT!!

I host a weekly link up party **Amaze me AUgust** and would LOVE if you shared this on there. For all Christmas projects, my **6 weeks 2 JINGLE** party is up and running.

Such creative juices in the family! That piece really rocks now. I would love for you to link this up to Wickedly Crafty Saturdays at Wiccan Make Some Too!http://wiccanmakesometoo.blogspot.com/2010/11/wickedly-crafty-saturdays_27.html

What a beautiful transformation! Thank you for the inspiration to redo the cabinets in my main bathroom and half bath. In addition, I now know what I'm going to do with a vintage mirrored- medicine cabinet I picked up by a curb: that little jewel will go into my bedroom. =)

About Me

I've always been creative and even my treatment and recovery from breast cancer has only slowed me down, not stopped me. At this time in my life I finally have my own craft studio where I can paint, sew, draw, crochet, design, quilt, you name it. I am creatively curious and I won't let my chemo stop me!